Arts and Music Atlas

Works, Makers, Traditions
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Work

Newgrange

Ancient and Classical Monuments

Newgrange is a prehistoric monument in County Meath, Ireland, placed on a rise overlooking the River Boyne, eight kilometers west of the town of Drogheda. It is an exceptionally grand passage tomb built during the Neolithic period, around 3100 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids, and it is the main monument in the Bru na Boinne World Heritage Site.

Facts
Location
County Meath, Ireland, on a rise overlooking the River Boyne, eight kilometres west of Drogheda 1
Primary Material
Earth and stone, with a reconstructed white quartz facade 1
Building Type
Passage tomb (Neolithic burial monument) 1
Construction
from 3100 1
Floor Area (sqm)
4500 1
Height (metres)
12 1
Visitor Access
Popular tourist site 1
Classification
Genre
Architecture 1
Connections

In Form

Neolithic passage tomb in Ireland, older than Stonehenge and the Giza pyramids.

In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Newgrange (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead section, paragraph 1, first sentence
    is a prehistoric monument in County Meath in Ireland, placed on a rise overlooking the River Boyne, eight kilometres (five miles) west of the town of Drogheda.
  • Lead section, paragraph 1, passage-tomb sentence
    It is an exceptionally grand passage tomb built during the Neolithic Period, around 3100 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.
  • Early history, Construction section, first sentence
    The original complex of Newgrange was built around 3100 BC.
  • Description, Mound and passage section, dimensions sentence
    The mound is 85 metres (279 ft) wide at its widest point and 12 metres (39 ft) high, and covers 4,500 square metres (1.1 acres) of ground.
  • Description, Mound and passage section, first sentence
    The Newgrange monument primarily consists of a large mound, built of alternating layers of earth and stones, with grass growing on top and a reconstructed facade of flattish white quartz stones studded at intervals with large rounded cobbles covering part of the circumference.
  • Lead section, paragraph 3
    Newgrange is a popular tourist site and, according to archaeologist Colin Renfrew, is "unhesitatingly regarded by the prehistorian as the great national monument of Ireland" and as one of the most important megalithic structures in Europe.
  • Genre reference
    Newgrange is a prehistoric monument in County Meath, Ireland, placed on a rise overlooking the River Boyne, eight kilometers west of the town of Drogheda.
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.